Summer Research Program Inspires the Next Generation of Imaging Scientists
Undergraduate and medical students from across the country spent their summers in St. Louis exploring the field of imaging science through the WashU Medicine Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology (MIR) Summer Research Program (SRP). The paid, 10-week program introduces participants to the diverse disciplines within radiological science while providing hands-on research experience and mentorship from leading experts.
Throughout the program, students gain practical experience in a wide range of research areas, from clinical imaging subspecialties and advanced imaging modalities to basic science discovery and development. Working in state-of-the-art facilities, participants collaborate with faculty mentors, including leaders of MIR research centers, principal investigators and physician-scientists, on projects aimed at advancing imaging science and patient care.
The program concludes with student presentations showcasing their research findings and reflecting on what they learned during the summer. In addition to valuable technical and research skills, participants leave the SRP with meaningful professional connections and a deeper understanding of careers in radiology.
2026 MIR Summer Research Program Participants
Dylan Aubel
Institution: Miami University
Project: “Engineering Spatial Precision in Wearable High-Density Diffuse Optical
Tomography: Quantifying and Reducing Cross-Session Variability”
Mentor: Joseph P. Culver, PhD
Jun Chen
Institution: UT Southwestern Medical School
Project: “Using Metadata to Score Interventional Radiology Cases Along a Routine-to-Extreme Continuum”
Mentor: James R. Duncan, MD, PhD
Adan Habibi
Institution: Washington University in St. Louis
Project: “Can a Novel Pertuzumab-Based Antibody Drug Conjugate Provide a Targeted Therapeutic Approach for HER2 Positive Cancers?”
Mentor: Patrícia M. Ribeiro Pereira, PhD
Humzah Hashmi
Institution: Howard University College of Medicine
Project: “CBCT-Based Prediction of Y-90 Microsphere Distribution Evaluated Using Post-Therapy PET/CT”
Mentor: Christopher D. Malone, MD
Vaughn House
Institution: Michigan State University
Project: “Preclinical and Clinical Quantitative Organ Analysis Using Theragnostic Agents”
Mentor: Richard L. Wahl, MD
José Irizarry
Institution: Universidad Central del Caribe
Project: “CMR Comparison between Takotsubo Syndrome and STEMI”
Mentor: Jie Zheng, PhD
Anvi Jampani
Institution: Washington University in St. Louis
Project: “Changes in Respiration and Global Signaling Through NREM Sleep Stages”
Mentor: Muriah D. Wheelock, PhD
Devin Kancherla
Institution: Saint Louis University School of Medicine
Project: “Can We Detect Radiotracer Entry into the CSF?”
Mentor: Manu S. Goyal, MD
Becca Karon
Institution: Washington University in St. Louis
Project: “Test-Retest Reliability of Generalized Diffusion Basis Spectrum Imaging (g-DBSI) Brain Metrics”
Mentor: Tamara Hershey, PhD
Madeline Kelly
Institution: University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Project: “AI-Derived volBrain Brain Age Gap and Hippocampal-Amygdalo-Ventricular Atrophy as Biomarkers of Cortical Amyloid Burden”
Mentor: Cyrus A. Raji, MD, PhD
Yahya Kharbat
Institution: Texas A&M College of Medicine
Project: “Survival Outcomes After Modern-Era Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt in Patients with High MELD Scores”
Mentor: Nassir Rostambeigi, MD
Jaeson Kim
Institution: Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University
Project: “Quantitative Accuracy of Y-90 Imaging and Lung-shunt-fraction Estimation Across MAA SPECT/CT, Y-90 Bremsstrahlung SPECT/CT, and Y-90 PET/CT: a Patient-Derived Ground-Truth Phantom Study”
Mentor: Allan Thomas, PhD
Jonathan Ma
Institution: Saint Louis University School of Medicine
Project: “Myocardial Viability Assessment with 18F-FDG PET: Toward an Expedited Metabolic Preparation Period Protocol While Preserving Image Quality”
Mentor: Thomas H. Schindler, MD, PhD
Kanishk Satish
Institution: Washington University in St. Louis
Project: “3D Fluorescence Imaging and Metabolic Profiling of Chemotherapy-Induced Changes in Peripheral Nerve”
Mentor: Mikhail Y. Berezin, PhD
Aren Shah
Institution: Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine
Project: “MRI Assessment of Proctitis in Patients with Perianal Crohn’s Disease”
Mentor: David H. Ballard, MD
Eliana Soiffer
Institution: Emory University
Project: “Synthesis and Early Validation of PET, MRI Tracers for Oxidative Stress”
Mentor: Vijay Sharma, PhD
Justin Xu
Institution: Saint Louis University School of Medicine
Project: “Correlating Tumor Suppressor Gene Alterations with PSMA Uptake at Biopsied Lesions in Patients Considered for ¹⁷⁷Lu-PSMA-617 Therapy”
Mentor: Vikas Prasad, MD, PhD
